To the point
In book 1 of #The Marker Chronicles, #Sorrow's Point, we meet Jimmy Holiday, a defrocked priest who wants to help the daughter of a friend. The child's name is Lucy and she is very ill. Some say she is possessed and it is certain Jimmy is not yet up to the task. Enter Blackmore, a haunted mansion more appropriate to a Stephen King novel. It is here Jimmy must discover if Lucy is possessed or just terribly ill in a very strange and unusual fashion.
The opening scene is gruesome #frightening #horrific and not for the weak-hearted. Jimmy sets out to help Lucy return to the child she once was, a disastrous journey that will only end in heartache and sorrow.
Or will it?
Ms. DeVor writes with a passion and a beautiful simplicity that astounded me. She gets her story across with as few words as possible which takes quite a talent and keeps the reader enthralled until the very end. I highly recommend Sorrow's Point. Ignore the first reviews as they are for the original version. Ms. DeVor has revamped the entire novel and it is such a mind candyful way to spend the day. Just don't say I didn't warned you about the opening scene.
Basking at the edge
Jimmy is back!
He receives a mysterious phone call followed by a cask made of silver the following morning. Back together with Tabby, his witchy paramour and her familiar cat they set out with Lucy, their adopted ghost, and Doc Holliday, Jimmy's gunslinger relative and guardian of little Lucy's soul to discover what the mystery is all about.
Another phone call invites Jimmy to join The Order, an organization of sort that performs exorcisms on behalf of the Church. He's not too happy with the turn of events, but at least he is getting paid.
Once again, Danielle DeVor rocks a horror novel. While Sorrow's Edge is not as #bloody #scary as Sorrow's Point it is a #frightfully fun read.
DeVor infuses her characters with wit, sarcasm, sorrow and poignancy making them entirely likeable and utterly readable.
Rounding the turn
In Sorrow's Turn, Jimmy, Tabby, Lucy and Doc Holliday are once again confronted with a pile full of you know what. Lucy has to shed the body she made with the Devil's gift to Tabby. Called a fleshing rod, it does exactly that, fleshes out a little girl who was just curious enough to use it.
Unfortunately, the flesh doesn't stay on long and eventually puts Lucy through the dying process once again where her new body leaves a stain on the floor. At the same time, her real body which is still with her father and mother dies, leaving Lucy bodiless. This turns out to be a situation Lucy was prepared for much to Jimmy's chagrin.
While Jimmy tries desperately to find Lucy's father, Doc Holliday pops out then back in with his phone number. Jimmy calls and reconnects with Will, Lucy's father and he learns that Lucy's mother committed suicide just after Lucy's body died. Lucy is well aware of her mother's death and once again Jimmy is concerned about the source of her knowledge.
The order sends Jimmy to Rome where he discovers a side to Lucy he didn't know existed.
Upon returning home, even more surprises and exorcisms await him, including the possession of the woman he loves.
Once again, I loved Sorrow's Turn and was unhappy to see the novel end. DeVor's talents get better and better the more she writes. As a writer myself, I know her ability to take a novel down to its simplest equation is difficult to do, but DeVor manages it well making Sorrow's Turn an easy read on a complicated subject. Yet, her writing is also complex seen in the wit and sarcasm deployed by her characters.
In this reviewer's opinion, DeVor's novels are a great read for an escape especially if you love a horror novel or two or three or even four. How will I wait so long for the next installment?
All of Ms. DeVor's books can be purchased through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Check your local bookstore as well. If they don't have it, they can order it. Take a day and profitez d'un roman d'horreur!
